Friday, November 29, 2013

Cowgirl in Autumn Outfit

This outfit was very much inspired by Dale Evans. If you don't know who that is, please click here, and check out my previous post on her cowgirl style. The skirt is the same one posted about here and here, and I wanted to make it mainly because I thought it looked like something she would wear. 
It was a cold wet day with rain and freezing rain, and is supposed to be followed by a couple inches of snow tonight. Since this is East Tennessee we're talking about, it could be any or none of the three mentioned above. The weather here is extremely varied and unpredictable. But the weather made me long for a cozy sweater, and this is one of my favorites. So, with my new corduroy skirt now altered a little (I took in the waist a little and sewed down the pleat in front. I think it looks way better like this.), I decided it needed another outing, even if it was only seen at a gas station, Hobby Lobby, and my daughter's ballet class.

I wore the same blue belt as before, but wore a long-sleeved button-up shirt in a blue and white stripe. I absolutely love stripes! I can see that I need to make more striped shirts, dresses, and skirts for my wardrobe in the future.

I'm looking at one of my sons, lol. But don't you love this rusty, orangey, pumpkin hue?
To keep me warm I wore a comfy pumpkin-spicy colored cardigan and dark brown tights (all I had that would match, outside of my vintage seamed stockings which I save for Sundays or special occasions).

Hey! I actually took a picture of my shoes for once! Aren't you proud of me?  They are a deeper red than the picture shows. I'm not sure why there's some weird lighting going on in this one. 
I wore my favorite red heels, just because I wear them every chance I get. I love the laces and vintage look of them, and the heels are low enough that I can wear them through lots of walking without having aching feet. I really want to find another similar pair in a more neutral color.


I love the hidden ruffles on this shirt <3


I also wore the pearl necklace and earrings given to me by my grandma, but I think one of my favorite brooches really brought the whole outfit together. It's a vintage plastic brooch of a cowboy riding a bucking bronco. I love the bright bold colors of this brooch, and my 2 year old son likes it because he says it's him when he grows up.

Posing without lipstick and holding a vintage pot I inherited from my grandparents. It's amazing, but food does actually taste more like my grandma's cooking when cooked in her old pots and pans. 
Yay for more fall colors and leaf prints!
Just to give you an idea of how I look at home when I'm dressed like this while out and about I took some pictures of me in one of the aprons I made and wear while cooking. This apron is based off of some vintage aprons that I inherited from my maternal grandma that she had made. She had several half aprons with a hand/dish towel sewn to the waistband. I think this is perfect for cooking, because I'm forever needing to dry my hands in between washing them, and the towels always handy this way. When I do baking I prefer a fuller apron, but for day to day cooking, a half apron is easiest.

So, this is how I look when my husband comes home, but don't feel too bad for him as I had chicken and dumplings, peas, and mashed potatoes waiting for him.

Cooking in pearls does make you feel a bit like Mrs. Cleaver in a good way. Now if I could have her wardrobe....

All the moisture in the air and my curly hair was becoming slightly unruly. However, I think the roll in front saved it from complete frizzy chaos, and that's another good reason for me to keep practicing them. Although even my rolled hair was desperately trying to curl and wave unevenly by this point. 
Oh, and another roll. this time I tried rolling it under like bangs. I love the look of bangs, and I had bangs until I was about fourteen and then again a couple years ago. I look like I'm twelve with them, and I would want rid of them the next day. So, maybe doing a feaux bang roll is the way to go for me. Very little commitment, and it can be as elaborate as you want.

Outfit Details:
Earrings and Necklace: gift from my Grandma
Shirt: I don't remember, but maybe from T.J. Maxx or Ross's
Sweater: Bass Pro Shop, Don't laugh, and yes there is a story behind that. But isn't it a great sweater anyway?
Skirt: made by me
Tights: No idea, I think my mother-in-law gave them to me. Yes, she gives interesting Christmas gifts, sometimes they're very practical.
Shoes: Bakers, but they no longer sell this style :(
Brooch: vintage purchased on eBay

My favorite color palette is that of autumn, so I'm wearing fallish color combinations as much as I can lately. I wear them year round to an extent, but fall definitely brings them out more.
One of things I love most about this outfit is that it makes me feel a real connection to the average women of the past. They looked put together, but with a subtle, manageable, everyday glamour that was easy to keep up, yet made a stark differentiation between working clothes and going to town clothes. I feel better when I've taken a little effort to look like I thought about it for more than two seconds, and I think I behave better, too. That may sound odd, but if I feel like I look frumpy, I act as bad as I look. I think my kids and those around me can sense the change, too. I'm not perfect, and I do own sweats, but I'd like to think my husband would rather come home to me like this than in an old t-shirt and pajama pants. I do still get grumpy, but the more I look like a lady, the more I act like one, too.

Do you feel more ladylike when you wear vintage?




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